The Wolf Among Us: Stuck
by maddiis
Summary: After the Crooked Man's trial, more trouble ensues for Bigby and Snow. While battling external threats, something between them develops as well.


It's been four days since the Crooked Man's trial, and I'm still having mixed feelings about my decision. As Faith and Lily are dead and gone, this fucker is enjoying his peace in a cell. But I stand by my choice - there was no solid proof he ordered the girls dead, so the best action to take was locking him up, away from trouble, away from Fabletown.

Fuck's sake, why did they force me to make the decision? Could've had a vote. And I know Snow would've liked that. Part of the reason I chose not to kill him, and to consider his innocence, was how much Nerissa pushed for me to make the call, having lied to and manipulated me to think the Crooked Man did everything. That had me seriously doubting her story, and I just wasn't ready to make a decisive, irreversible call.

Four days later, in the present, I'm wandering around town and doing nothing. Sure, there was a line at the office for Snow, but not for me. I should be used to everyone hating me by now, but it still stings to know whatever I do, even if it's the right choice, people will hate me for it. Speaking of Snow, I wonder how she's been doing...

Entering without knocking, I caught Snow in the middle of piles of paperwork. I could immediately tell she's stressed, from her eyebags to her body language, even to her scent. It pains me to see her like this - she deserves all the joy in the world, for she is the best person I know. And what does she get? Fucked over at every turn, never catching a break. I watch for a while, then clear my throat, breaking the silence.

"Hey, it's me. Just checking on how you're holding up-"

"I'm alright, thanks." She curtly replied, not bothering to look up at me.

"...You need help with those?" I asked, pointing at her documents.

"You really don't have to-"

"Come on, I want to help. I have all the time in the world, and you look like shit. Have you seen yourself in the mirror? Bet you'd get a scare."

I pointed to where the magic mirror usually was, but it wasn't there. Hmm, weird.

"Okay then," she finally looked up at me, offering a weak smile. God, she was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Our eye contact remained for too long, and she quickly broke it off. "Um, maybe you could help me make sense of how reliable these testimonies are when compared to each other, and with the evidence we have... with all these people contributing their points of view, I really can't wrap my head around what's the truth anymore."

So I started working. And kept working, and working, but then I realised why Snow was so frustrated: this shit is so damned confusing. Soon, it was past twelve and the staff had all gone home. Even Flycatcher popped in to tell us he's heading out for the night. It was just the two of us, and right when I was about to suggest wrapping up for the night, I smelt someone approaching the room from outside. I heard his increasingly audible - well at least to a wolf's ears - footsteps, and sensed trouble. But before I could do anything, I heard a 'click' on the door, followed by the lights turning off, and then the fucker clearing this throat in dramatic fashion. Tweedle fucking Dum.

"Bigby.." Snow instinctively grabbed onto my arm.

"Surprise bitches, I'm back! Should've killed me when you had the chance, but you didn't. What happened to you, _Sheriff_, grown all soft for that bitch Snow White?"

"What the FUCK are you doing, Dum?" I demanded, banging on the locked and bolted off door.

"Well, you didn't do the best job in hiding the Crooked Man, and I know where he is. While I'm here making sure you two don't get in our way like you always do, Dee is snooping around the building for the keys. Come on Sheriff, I thought you were smarter than this. The basement of the very building you work in? Really?" he scoffed.

"He's not there, you fat fucking idiot! I know what you're trying to do, scare us into exposing something. You can stop trying that, because it's not happ-"

"Oh is that so? Well the mirror seemed to tell us otherwise..."

The mirror? Oh... oh dear. With an exhausted Snow White and a drunk Buffkin as the only ones in the room, it could very well have been stolen by a skilled thief.

"Oh god... I'm sorry Bigby, I didn't even notice that it was gone..." Snow whispered.

I heard Dum's fading footsteps as he trudged away. I lit up my lighter to find an oil lamp in the room, and turned it on. "We've gotta find a way out of here."

"Bigby, there's only the one entrance and exit, and it's locked by god knows how many layers of locks Dum brought."

Fuck, she's right. Electricity had all been cut off, and there wasn't anything we could do. I paced around the huge room, looking for anything that could help us, but to no avail. When I returned, Snow had her head on the table, fast asleep.

I looked at the clock. It's 1 am, and she probably hadn't slept properly in days. I certainly don't blame her, except I'm just surprised how she could fall asleep knowing we're locked in here as Fabletown's most notorious criminal could be getting freed at this very moment. I stared at her sleeping figure, when it suddenly shuddered and let out a tiny sniff.

"I can tell you're crying, so stop pretending to sleep, Snow."

She let out another sniff and looked up, wiping her tear.

"It's normal to show some emotion occasionally, Princess," I lightly teased. "So, what's bothering you?"

"I'm so fucking STUPID! Four days of work and I've found nothing significant, and the only thing I've done for the case is let our magic mirror get stolen under my very own nose..."

I hesitated, but eventually decided to pull her into a hug to comfort her. To my surprise, instead of reprimanding me as she always does, she gladly accepted the hug and rested her face on my chest.

"I don't want to call you a liar, but what you just said was just ridiculous. You were trying your best, working your ass off, that's why you were so tired and couldn't notice the mirror was gone."

She looked up at me, considering what I said. Our faces were incredibly close, making her... is that a blush?

"And about the other thing you said... well, you're the smartest person I've ever met. None of what we did would've been possible without you, Snow, we both know that."

Snow gave me a smile, a genuine one this time. Remaining in my embrace, she continued, "I can't do one thing right... the way I've been treating you, I know you're just trying to look out for me but I'm just so busy and I don't have the time-"

"Snow, you know I can tell when someone is lying."

A silence fell in the room, quieter than I thought was physically possible. She stepped away from me, contemplating what to say.

"When Bloody Mary shot you and I thought you... died, I didn't even see the point in carrying on working for Fabletown anymore. What's the point if you're not here with me? What's the point in anything?" she took a pause, averting her gaze to the ground. "And then I thought, my job was more important than... than whatever I felt between us, and I tried to push you away so I could stop feeling those things but... I guess that isn't possible," she blurted out, looking up to see my reaction.

Damn it, Snow.

"Sorry, I really shouldn't have said those things-"

"What is it exactly that you feel?" I asked, suspecting I already knew the answer.

"My mood is a little better and my day is a little brighter when you're with me, I feel happy when you laugh, and I feel a deep sadness whenever you have to go. Whenever I have good news, or bad news, or anything exciting in general, you're the first one that I want to share it with, and your opinion is the only one of value to me. That's how it's been for... decades now, and I know I don't show it to you but it's affecting me so much and... I've never felt this way, ever, and I think the Mundies call it love."

I looked at her, and she looked back at me.

"You look embarrassed."

"Of course I am, dumbass!"

"You shouldn't be, Snow."

"..."

"I love you too."


End file.
